WASHINGTON – Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA), the trade association representing commercial service airports in the United States and Canada, and the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), today sent a letter to congressional leadership calling for an end to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shutdown.

Key excerpts from the letter include:

“Since the beginning of the fiscal year on October 1, most DHS employees, including those at the Transportation Security Administration, have worked without funding certainty and pay for nearly half the time. This is unacceptable and must end. These important jobs — which protect the security and safety of the traveling public — are challenging under the best of circumstances. Working without pay adds to the stress of already stressful jobs…”

“TSA employees work hard. They have families and bills to pay. They are being forced in some cases to find second jobs or rely on donations to buy groceries or gas or meet basic needs. Our airport members nationwide have been providing assistance to TSA employees with food pantries, diaper banks, gas cards, and other needed items at our facilities, just like we did during previous prolonged shutdowns. Federal employees deserve better; Congress needs to end the funding impasse now.

“In addition to immediately ending the shutdown, we urge Congress to enact legislation that would provide pay for TSA and other critical federal aviation workers who keep our nation safe and secure during any future shutdown so that they never miss a paycheck again. A functioning aviation system is essential to the well-being of our country, and the dedicated federal workers who ensure its operation cannot continue to be pawns in political gamesmanship.”

Read the full letter here.

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